The Bachelor Party
by Ariele Dawntreader
Summary: T/M- Trunks is about to get married when a past love unexpectedly shows up at his bachelor party, changing everything.. blah blah blah. ^^
1. Ichi

__

+The Bachelor Party+

+By Faye Valentine+

+**Chapter One+**

The Vegeta household had never been as busy in its entire history as it was that day. (Well, it was the busiest day to date-the wedding was scheduled for the next day.)

Bulma Briefs was in her usual officious mood, bossing all the servants around, telling them where to put this decoration, that piece of furniture in the main hall of the Capsule Corporation mansion. Son Videl was flitting in and out of the guestrooms, making sure the brides maids' dresses were perfect for the next day. Somewhere in the kitchen the bride-to-be ate a late lunch, smiling to herself and eagerly anticipating the next day. In the chefs' quarters, however, there was very little activity-if they wanted to make a perfect meal for tomorrow's even, they were certainly going to need their rest.

And in the future groom's quarters the young prince lie on his bed, his stress accumulating with every passing minute. "How did I ever get pressured into this?" He whispered sullenly. _The engagement party was bearable-hell; even all the press coverage didn't really bother me. But now it's actually going to happen. Oh, Dende, why didn't I just listen to my father? Why am I marrying Son Pan? _Trunks snorted. _Of course, I seriously doubt he would have approved of my relationship with a half-android, either. _

He sat up suddenly and his thoughts stung, almost as if he'd been hoping for a miracle. _She never even responded. _He walked over to his desk and found her name and address staring back at him. He almost laughed. "...Nevada, USA" it read. He touched the address book lightly, tracing the print and let his mind wander. "She just wanted to get away from me," He said so softly, as if spoke the truth too loudly his world would suddenly come crashing down around him, crushing him with its weight. 

The door opened slightly and Trunks was forced to snap out of it. He frowned, but there came a soft giggle from behind and his expression lightened. 

"Guess who," Pan said, laughing when she covered his eyes. Trunks peeled away her small hands away and turned to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"I wonder," His brow furrowed, "How'd you do that?"

She giggled, "Instant Transmission. Ojiisan taught me." 

"That's...cool," He struggled, needing desperately to be alone for some reason. An idea flickered into his mind, "Hey, I'd really like to see you in your dress. I know it's supposed to be bad luck and all, but-"

"It's only bad luck on your wedding day." Pan chimed in, trying her best to please him.

__

Pathetic. "Great. Why don't you go do that now so we have time to get ready for the rehearsal dinner." _And the bachelor party. _Trunks smirked. There was one consolation, after all.

Pan jumped to her task like a lap dog and left the young prince with his thoughts.

+

And somewhere in that over-sized mansion, the actual head of the household sat, doing nothing for the first time in his life but sulk over the impending union of the two Saiya-jin bloodlines. Vegeta grunted, shoved popcorn in his mouth and switched on Q.V.C., his only confirmation that there were people who led a more pathetic life than he did.

++++++++++

Marron rested her head against the back of the seat and gazed out at the clouds wistfully. Turbulence disturbed her thoughts, however and she swore silently. The man next to her woke from a catnap and when he saw the expression on her face, he chuckled sleepily. 

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," He touched her hand fondly, "but this was the last flight we could take to get there in time."

"It's not that bad," She said off-handedly, looking back outside at the clouds that seemed to suddenly resemble an old lover's face. Her boss noticed her distracted tone and was alarmed, 

"Hey, Marron, you're not thinking of quitting soon, are you?" You're my best girl, after all!" He said worriedly, searching her face. She snapped out of it and laughed. 

"Chris, please! I'm only halfway through my senior year. How else am I going to get money to get me through the rest of the year?" And she gave him a kiss on the cheek to reassure him. Chris' expression lightened and he ordered a drink, pleased. 

"That's just great, Mar. After all, you have a big job tonight- One of our best-paying customers yet." But Marron was drawn to the clouds again, yet still not realizing why Trunks' face had been haunting her all day...

+

Marron was hurrying about her hotel room, trying to finish getting ready when the phone rang. It was Richard, her psychology professor.

"Hey, darling. How was your flight?" Normally Marron would have been thrilled to hear from her lover, but today for some reason she didn't much feel like talking. She kept thinking about the face she had seen in the clouds earlier, thought about touching those features gently, caressing them sleepily... She shook her head angrily. 

"Hello, Richard. Listen, sweet- sweetheart. I don't mean to be rude, but I've got to be going. I'm already a few minutes late." She sputtered out, and closed her eyes tightly, realizing how nasty she sounded. But Richard seemed nonplussed,

"Alright. I'll let you go," He chuckled, "I'll let you go. Give me a call tomorrow when you're not so busy, okay?"

"Right on." She smiled nervously and hung up. She looked in the mirror quickly, fixed an earring and trotted down the main stairs, toward the bachelor party in the ballroom. She took a deep breath and told herself to forget about Trunks and just dance well to make Chris proud. What she hadn't quite deduced, however, was the obvious: Her old boyfriend was waiting for her in the very ballroom into which she rushed. 

+O+W+A+R+I+

+Chapter One+


	2. Ni

+The Bachelor Party+ +by Faye Valentine+  
  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Marron burst through the ballroom back entrance in a flurry, evoking a smile from Chris. "In a hurry there?" He snickered, but put a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Calm down, you're not late. The other girls are still doing their thing." He noticed the flush on Marron's face. "You okay?" He asked. She tried not to look in his eyes-what did he know about all her inner torrent of emotions? Nothing. So why bother him with them now?  
  
"I'm fine." She plastered on a nighttime smile and tried to look as sexy as she could, flipping the hair out of her face. "I'm just a little nervous, that's all." Her eyes became dark suddenly, something in her brain realizing something she didn't want to believe as true. One of our best-paying customers yet... She shook her head when she heard her cue music. Chris looked at her strangely for a moment, never having seen this side of Marron before, but gave her a pat on the shoulder and tap on the bottom,  
  
"Go get 'em, girl." He smiled a golden-toothed smile and she hurried to step behind the curtain. "So who's the lucky guy tonight?" She asked, peering out into the crowd of unusually familiar faces. That's odd, it's like I've seen half these people before.  
  
Chris leaned discretely and pointed straight out in front of the stage. A shock of purple hair caught Marron's eye and she froze. The part of her brain that had been blocking out all thoughts of her ex-boyfriend for six whole years at last came alive again. He was right in front of her, now. She had to face him... right now. Now, now, now...  
  
"Marron! Now!" He gave her a little shove and suddenly she was on the stage, half naked in front of men she had grown up around. Oh, Dende! Please, please, let that be someone else besides Uncle Yamucha. She silently prayed, noticing a dark figure in back of the room. Her prayer was answered, but when she realized who it really was, she almost wished it to be her loving friend. Oh, thanks a lot, Dende! Goten! That's so much better. For a moment she felt as if she would faint right there on the stage until her eyes fell on Trunks. He was staring at her in amazement and what seemed to be the same shock that she must have had on her face. Some kind of vindictiveness passed over her then and she felt the need to slap the man she was supposed to be "entertaining." Instead, however, she winked at her ex and began to move in a slow, rhythmic and sensual dance that had everyone in the room pick up their drinks and watch intently.  
  
  
  
Marron was thoroughly pleased with her performance when it was over, and secretly in some part of her heart she enjoyed the lap dance she had given Trunks. In the end, every man at the party was smashed as they lumbered out of the ballroom and up to each of their respective rooms. Everyone except Trunks, anyway. He paced around outside in the parking lot, waiting for a solution to enter his brain. Something in his heart was screaming and he knew what it was. He was getting married tomorrow. It was terrifying him-not the fact that he was entering into a lifelong commitment, but rather that he was entering into that covenant with a woman he didn't even love. Even he had to admit that Pan was a beautiful and loyal woman, but that didn't mean they were meant to be...  
  
Crossing the bloodlines. That's what everyone was talking about. They'd been talking about it ever since Goten had found his niece kissing Trunks' cheek that fated afternoon at a Capsule Corps picnic. How could he have known then that he would be so pressured to marry her? He shook his head, but when he looked up from the gravel he saw her-the beautiful temptress that she was: long blond waves falling down her back; her black dress from the party still clung to her soft curves. He didn't know what to do, but he began to walk toward her, much to his conscience's protest. She had been staring at him from the back steps of the hotel.  
  
It was a misty night, giving the whole situation an eerie feel. Marron watched Trunks come to her from across the asphalt and shivered even though it was warm. She could feel his eyes on her skin... I haven't spoken to him in years... Her heart beat rapidly against her chest and she thought for a moment that it might leap out of her throat. How can he still be doing this to me? I haven't touched him in so long...  
  
Trunks stopped when he saw the expression of growing anxiety on her face and remained a few yards away, still staring intently. Finally he brought his hand to his eyes and rubbed his face, looking away. At last the trance was broken... "Marron. Long time, no speak."  
  
"Nor see..." She whispered softly, her hurt still prevailing. Her eyes met his, "We never did see each other much, did we?"  
  
"Nor write," He said emphatically, irritated. "You could have been dead for all I knew! Don't talk to me about not seeing each other..." His voice died away when he saw the look on her face. A single, fat tear rolled its way down her cheek and he suddenly wanted to caress it away and hold her forever, like they had always planned to do.  
  
"What was I supposed to do, Trunks? Write back and say, 'Sure! Congratulations, Trunks. I'm so happy you're getting married to someone else! Sure I'll come.' Is that what I was supposed to do?" Her voice wavered and she looked down at the cracked concrete of the steps. Silence followed and Marron could feel the tension begin to wrap around them until it was almost palpable. Not being able to bear it anymore, she walked down the steps and past him, her heels clicking along the ground. There was something like electricity when her hand brushed the roughness of his shirt, and she tried her best to ignore it. I can't get away from him. "No matter what's happened in the past few years and no matter what comes in the future," Her throat worked, "I can't let your memory die in my heart. You're always there, even if it's subconscious. You haunt me."  
  
Trunks felt his emotions pull at his composure and he fought to keep from grabbing her arm and enveloping her in a long-desired embrace. "But you just disappeared," He made an attempt to keep the conversation flowing, even if it was torturous. He swallowed and forced himself to look away from her back. "Oh, gods, it's been so long..." He whispered, more to himself than her. He felt something break when she turned around and he could see her eyes. She came two steps towards him and then stopped when a door opened and a man came out to throw trash in the dumpster. He disappeared just as quickly but it made Trunks nervous all the same. "Come to my room with me," He said, and turned around. Hypnotically, Marron followed.  
  
+O+W+A+R+I+ +Chapter Two+  
  
A/N: Well, well, well. It looks like we have a cliffie here! ^_^ I'm sorry to cut it off, but I wanted to get this updated and well, you'll just have to wait for some major emotional outpouring and some citrus. Thanks for reading.. Hope you liked! ~Faye/Mistress 


	3. San

A/N: Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry for not updating this sooner! Here is chapter three! I hope you enjoy it! Thank you so very much for your reviews- your messages did NOT go unnoticed. Again, sorry for being so incredibly late on this one, but school has been crazy and so has my life, so at last.. Here it is!

**_+The Bachelor Party+_**

+by Mistress Starlette+

**AKA Faye Valentine**

****

Chapter Three

It was late and no one seemed to be around. As they walked, it was if the night was closing around them both–Trunks' mind slowly began to fill with dread for the coming morning and Marron was suddenly conscious of a feeling that she no longer had control over her life. Fate seemed to have finally taken the wheel… and she didn't care, anymore. The hallways seemed to be unbearably silent and she wondered abruptly why Trunks had taken a room in the hotel.

"Why are you staying here? It's a little shady," She half-whispered. Trunks slowed down and walking beside her, shrugged,

"Goten booked us here for the party and I guess everyone at home barely notices my presence anyway… even on my wedding day." He decided then that Marron was incredibly sexy when she whispered… he had known that long ago. He also decided that the tension between the two was mounting so that it could be sliced with a knife. He tried to loosen his muscles unsuccessfully when at last they came to his room. 

_221, _Marron read. She thought that the number would mean something in the future, so she kept in her memory. She wasn't sure what the hell she was thinking, but went with her instincts anyway. Trunks unlocked the door and they shuffled in, unsure of the other's motives. For Marron, it was becoming a desperate struggle to restrain herself from reaching out and touching his face. It was so baby-like and spoiled, but beyond his eyes were deep emotions and memories, and for a moment she was happy to be privy to that information. A small smile crept on her face, and she almost let her fingers go to his cheek. She stopped smiling and cleared her throat, wondering what was going to happen next. Trunks did the same, and then motioned for her to sit on a chair across from the bed.

"We didn't exactly part on good terms, did we?" Marron stated more than asked. Trunks nodded shortly and tried to continue what they had started in the empty parking lot,

"Marron, I- well, obviously I'm getting married tomorrow-" He stopped and choked on his own saliva. He couldn't look at her anymore, instead stared at the patterns on the bedspread he was sitting on. "I can't go through with it, Marron. The very thought terrorizes me. Pan-chan and I. It's unreal the way the whole situation has panned out." He paused and finally looked at her, on the verge of tears himself. "I guess- I guess I just invited you to - because you're-" He couldn't finish and just stopped talking, continuing to look at her. Marron at last closed the physical gap between them, closing the small space between bed and chair and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her back, like a child would do to its mother, trying to grab hold of something real, not the fake that seemed to surround him daily at Capsule Corps. He took the liberty of stroking her hair as well. He hadn't done this in so long. 

Emotion welled in Marron's throat and she clung tighter to Trunks' middle section. She had always enjoyed that part of dating a half-Saiya-jin. He was so built and comfortable and perfect. "I've missed you so much, Trunks. I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I left so long ago," She started to cry softly, "And now you're getting married to Panny-chan, and I have no idea what to do. You can't break her heart. She's been obsessed with you since forever…" She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed heavily, "Then again, so have I."

Trunks felt tears form in his eyes and he let a few of them flow out of those normally calm blue orbs. "I remember I couldn't believe it when you left." His voice became slightly normal again as he recalled the events leading up to the day that had become the bane of his existence. "We had been fighting ridiculously about whether or not my father would approve of our secret relationship. Why the hell we were fighting about it, I don't know…" He whispered into her ear, "I don't know why we just didn't realize then that we didn't have to worry about what everyone else thought. I love you too much to care." His voice broke again, as the blow of reality hit him hard for at least the thousandth time that night. Marron blinked against his shirt sleeve and realized the same thing he was realizing at the moment.

"And that's the awful thing, Trunks," She said quietly, "You're too nice of a guy to just run away," She paused, "And that's what made me so mad about your whole family- they _know _that about you. They _know _you won't back out. It always disgusted me how they used you!" She said angrily, tears coming again. She clung to his sleeves and he held her hands delicately.

"I don't know if it's just that… after all, everyone seems to think that we really love each other, the way Pan goes on all the time," He stopped for a moment, "And I guess I really love her, I'm just not -_in love _with her. I'm in love with you." He held her at arm's length to look at her heart-shaped face. She was so beautiful…

"I'm in love with you, too, Trunks." She looked down, "I've always known, but I guess I'm just crazy. I just think of how much trouble I could have saved you if I hadn't had run away so abruptly-" 

He put a finger over her lips, "None of that, Marron. It's not your fault. Everything happens for a reason," A smile made its way to his features, "I decided that a long time ago- our first date as a matter of fact. Remember?" He stroked her hair out of her face.

"Yeah," She giggled. "Goten completely embarrassed himself by not getting us in to see the R-rated movie, and you- you were late picking me up, and when you finally got there my mama scolded you," She looked at him tenderly, "You blushed like a rose in summer." Her eyes filled with longing.

"… And you're as beautiful as a rose in summer. You're so fair, but your lips are red and your cheeks have always been so rosy. You're so sweet-smelling, and kissable…" The mistake came then as he finally gave in and kissed her hard on the lips. She made no attempt to stop him, either. She gave in as well and she climbed on top of him onto the bed, feeling herself grow flushed. "Marron, I've missed you so badly," He said breathlessly, realizing how different and yet so familiar her touch was from Pan's. It just felt _right. _Nothing was fake here, it was all the truth. There were no lies or secrets between them, as there had been for so long in his relationship with Pan. Everything between Marron and Trunks seemed to be so pure, even if they weren't that way alone. Alone, Marron had been living a less than desirable lifestyle, and she hadn't cared… not until now when she realized what she had been missing out on all these years. She was twenty-six years old, and with Trunks, she felt as pure as the sixteen-year-old she had been when they had first dated. 

They were the only two constants in life for one another. As they kissed, Trunks thought about how she had always been the only person who had always wanted to hear the way he really felt. And now there was that same calm warmth with a mixture of electricity present, and he was with her again, and nothing else seemed to matter.

"Trunks, you can't get married to her, because if you do, I'll never forgive myself for letting you." Marron said suddenly. Trunks looked at her incredulously and thought for a moment that they were sharing brainwaves. 

"No, I know I can't get married tomorrow, but how do I explain that to everyone at home? To my mother and my father and the cooks and decorators and… Oh, Kami, I'm such an asshole! Why did I even give in to the pressure by asking her to marry me in the first place?" He leaned his forehead against hers and thought for a moment.

"I'm not absolutely sure, sweet, but it's the best thing. Because you'll keep on haunting me if I can't be with you, and it scares me to think what would happen if you were married and I kept on wanting you this way."

They looked intently at each other, despair and longing in their eyes. "I'll do my best, I promise you. I'll find a way to get through this." Trunks said resolutely, and then kissed her again softly.

"I've missed you so much…" Marron ended the conversation as they continued their long-desired explorations of each other's bodies. It felt like the very first time… .

+O+W+A+R+I

+Chapter 3+

A/N2: Well? I'll cut it off here. You can use your sick little imaginations. ^_^ I promise the next update will be MUCH sooner. Thanks for reading, please tell me what you think in reviews. Much love, ~~Faye/Mistress~~


End file.
